


Things Fall Apart

by starry_mist



Category: Hudson & Rex (TV)
Genre: Charah-friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode tag for 2x04 Strangers in the Night, F/M, Maybe hints of a developing relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29252337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starry_mist/pseuds/starry_mist
Summary: My version of when Sarah breaks up with Thomas, which in my headcanon is sometime between 2x03 and 2x04. - currently on pause as of March 2021
Relationships: Charlie Hudson/Sarah Truong
Comments: 20
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this one on the go for a while and finally sat down to flesh it out. This will be a multi-chapter fic, and it's kind of a Sarah character study. There will likely be two sequels just based on how I've written moments from other episodes.
> 
> I own nothing but my own mistakes.

Sarah Truong silently cursed her impractical shoes. Her usual chunky-heeled boots were suitable for most crime scenes, but not for traversing the long stretch of rock on this beach. Her tired eyes were hidden by large sunglasses as she approached detective Charlie Hudson, who stood near a body that looked as though it had been brought in by the tide. 

She let out a quiet sigh as she looked over the body, searching for clues as to the man’s identity. She picked up his wallet, finding his ID. Apparently Charlie recognized him as “a local boy, done good.” Whatever that meant.

“Your local boy was murdered,” she replied without a trace of humour.

Charlie asked if the body could have floated here, but Sarah surmised that he had actually died right at this spot, the water reaching him at high tide early that morning.

“I’ll have his phone sent to Jesse,” she said. “Though I doubt the data will be salvageable.”

The detective wondered aloud why the victim would have been meeting someone on the lonely beach in the middle of the night.

“Maybe he was just clearing his head and got jumped,” Sarah posited.

_Look, I need some space. I need to clear my head._

She tried to push the memory away, focusing on the task at hand.

“His wallet was empty,” she continued. Several cars had pulled up, and she saw her team approaching with their forensics equipment. “Anyway, my team will get him back to the lab, and we’ll go from there.”

Sarah gave instructions to her team, who quickly got to work. 

She turned to walk away, eager to have a moment alone. Another memory flashed in her mind.

_We are not having this conversation right now._

“Hey Sarah,” called Charlie.

Damnit, she thought. So much for getting away.

“Yeah,” she replied over her shoulder, not immediately turning back to him.

“You okay? You seem a little, I don’t know, off?” The detective had taken off his sunglasses and gave her a look of concern.

She sighed and turned back to him. “I’m just tired. I took the red eye back from Toronto last night.”

“Oh, okay,” replied Charlie, seemingly understanding. “How’s Thomas?”

_This isn’t working and we both know it._

_What changed?_

_A lot of things...This isn’t home anymore._

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut behind her sunglasses for a moment, trying to will herself back to the present moment. Hoping he hadn’t noticed her momentary pause, she quickly tried to cover. “He’s fine,” came her reply, a little more clipped than she’d intended.

Charlie picked up on her tone and decided to let it go for the moment. She’d talk to him when she was ready. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah,” she replied, keeping it short. Without another word, she headed back up the beach toward her car.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally adding a short bit to this one.

A chip of red boat paint provided their next clue, leading Charlie to pay another visit to the dead singer’s brother. This time Sarah rode with him to the docks in order to search the boat for forensic evidence.

They drove in silence, Charlie still sensing that something was bothering his friend but unsure how to broach the subject. He got the feeling that whatever it was, she wasn’t ready to talk about it.

The occasional alert sounded from Sarah’s phone, indicating incoming texts. Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie noticed that she barely glanced at the messages as they came in, and didn’t appear to send any responses. Catching his eye, she reached out and turned on the radio to break the silence.

A familiar song played.

“Oh, hey, Sarah, this is our victim…this was his band. It’s the song that made him sort of famous.”

She nodded briefly in acknowledgment.

_You seem miles away._

_Maybe I am._

“You okay? You seem miles away.”

Sarah was startled out of the memory by Charlie’s words. “I’m fine, Charlie.” She gave him a weak smile. “Really. It’s nothing.”

Rex, who sat obediently in the back of the car, laid a paw between the front seats. Sarah absently stroked the big dog, still lost in thought.


	3. On hiatus

Just a quick update to say I'm putting this one on hold for now. It will get finished, but season 3 has kind of taken over all my fanfic headspace right now.


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